NSNDP

February 15th, 2023

Nova Scotian families and farmers need government commitment to local food and agriculture

HALIFAX – As food prices rise and people struggle to keep healthy, local food on the table, the Houston government must better support farmers and food producers in our province.

“Nova Scotia has an abundance of amazing farmers and food producers who are on the front lines of climate change and the affordability crisis. Their work supports and feeds Nova Scotia families every day, we need to, in return, support them,” said NDP Agriculture spokesperson Lisa Lachance.

Lachance tabled legislation in 2021 calling on the government to create an Agriculture and Food Security Secretariat that would support farmers and food producers in Nova Scotia.

“Farmers across the province want to produce food that’s accessible to all Nova Scotians on a sustainable basis,” said Richard Melvin, President and Co-owner of Melvin Farms. “The provincial government has a vested interest in the long-term security and sustainability of farming in Nova Scotia. A secretariat could help focus efforts to increase spending on and support for locally produced food and to increase local food production.”

Today, February 15 is Canada’s Agriculture Day.

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